1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a process for unsoldering semiconductor modules in the flip-chip technique which are soldered onto the terminal surfaces of a carrier by terminal pads consisting of soft solder. The invention also relates to a device for the performance of the inventive process.
2. Description of the Prior Art
So-called multi-chip wirings are performed by soldering a plurality semiconductor modules onto the appropriate terminal surfaces of a carrier, whereupon they are subjected to an electrical function check. If the function check has a negative or undesirable result it is generally due to faulty or misassembled semiconductor modules. The carriers provided with faulty or misassembled semiconductor modules are not rejected, however, as it is considerably more economical to exchange the semiconductor modules in question.
The exchanging of modules comprises the unsoldering of the relevant semiconductor modules, the removal of the soft solder residues remaining on the terminal surfaces of the carrier, and the soldering on of another semiconductor module. Both during the unsoldering and also during the removal of the soft solder residues, a danger exists that the adjacent semiconductor modules, the terminal surfaces, or the carrier will suffer damage. Known devices for melting and withdrawing solder by suction, such as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,822,035, cannot be used for exchanging the semiconductor modules without causing damage. This is particularly due to the small dimensions of the semiconductor modules, the high packing density, and the small spaces between the terminal surfaces.